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NYC lifeguard union boss retires ahead of disciplinary trial
By
Liam Quigley
Published Jan 27, 2025
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Liam Quigley
By
Liam Quigley
Published Jan 27, 2025
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The union boss who controlled New York City’s lifeguards with an iron fist for decades has retired ahead of a disciplinary proceeding this week over his methods.
Peter Stein, who was the longtime head of the lifeguards supervisors union, will face a virtual disciplinary trial Thursday with representatives from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. The proceeding is not open to the public.
An attorney involved in the case and a lifeguard who has long pushed for reform of the union described the allegations to Gothamist. The hearing, they said, centers on charges Stein failed to abide by union bylaws and obstructed lifeguards from participating in union activities. If the allegations are upheld, some of Stein’s top appointees at the union could be ousted, they said.
“ Nobody challenges him because he easily retaliates against people and the city,” said attorney Arthur Schwartz, who is representing lifeguards who brought the charges against Stein.
But regardless of the outcome, Stein’s retirement from his post as leader of Local 508 represents a sea change in New York City’s chronically short-staffed lifeguards. Stein began working for the parks department in 1964, according to city payroll records. He’s long faced criticism accusing him of turning the lifeguard union into a personal fiefdom, creating red tape and dysfunction that exacerbated chronic understaffing, forcing the city to close parts or all of public swimming pools in recent years.
The union leader’s retirement ahead of the proceeding was first reported by local labor outlet The Chief.
The charges come as the parks department, which employs city lifeguards, has wrested more control over the hiring process from the union and increased wages in an effort to address understaffing.
Stein made $197,000 last year through his city employment, public records show.
Attempts to reach Stein were not successful. His attorney declined to comment.
Messages left with DC 37 Local 508, which represents NYC Lifeguard Supervisors, and an AFSCME spokesperson were not returned.
The proceeding will also focus on Stein’s vice president, secretary treasurer and others, Schwartz said.
“This has been such a one-man operation. Nobody was invited to union meetings,” said veteran lifeguard Janet Fash, who has long advocated for reform of the union. “This is something that's been going on for decades.”
Parks department spokesperson Gregg McQueen said the city is on track to bolster the lifeguard ranks this summer. There were 930 lifeguards working at the peak of the swimming season last year. The parks department also boosted wages for lifeguards and began offering a $1,000 bonus for returning employees in 2024.
A 2020 report in New York Magazine detailed allegations of sexual assault, cronyism, and a culture of corruption at the top levels of the lifeguard union. A subsequent Department of Investigation report described the lifeguard division as a “black box,” where the reasons behind personnel and disciplinary decisions were unclear.
Schwartz said Stein’s fade from power could lead to more lifeguards on duty at New York City beaches and pools that saw more than 8 million visitors last year.
“His control over the hiring process made it hard for people to get jobs on the beaches unless they basically were sworn loyalists,” Schwartz said.
The disciplinary trial would be a “step in the direction of opening up the whole lifeguard profession in the city,” Schwartz added.
Fash said Stein tendered his resignation to DC37 Director Henry Garrido in an email, but speculated that he still might try to influence union matters from retirement. A parks department spokesperson did not reply to a message seeking confirmation of Stein’s employment status.
“It’s been said that he wanted to last until he was dead. And he ain’t dead yet,” Fash said.
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new york city
parks
Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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